James Blair Lovell books

[RealAnastasia]

I tend to agree with you, Vanesa, but I would still like some kind of confirmation --- is there proof that he made up the King Kong interview?

Simon

Anna Anderson was an exentric lady, we must admit that (The fact I'll think that the woman was Anastasia is not a proof of her mental sanity. I know that in her later years she was senile and enjoyed to fool people. Even Lovell admited it in his book). She could have told what Lovell claims she did when Jack was still watching "King-Kong". It is the kind of stories she loved to tell to people in her later years. The first time I read the book I believed that Anastasia Manahan herself had said this stupidity to him to make him believe it, and laugh at him when she was alone (I swear that she catch in a glance, what kind of people the poor Jimmy Blair Lovell was...Did you remember the story where she said to him that she had choosed him to reveal her "truth" for she believed that he was the reincarnation of the Tsar?  )But later, when I was lurking in this forum, long before being a member, I read a post saying that Lovell had confessed when dying that he made up the "King-Kong Story". I must find the page. It was here, I'm sure of it.

Both things are possible: 1) AA made up the whole story and told it to Lovell to laugh at him.

                                        2) Lovell made up the story, as he supposed and made up other parts of his book. His fantasy brings him not only to said that AA was Anastasia (I don't believe he made any serious scientifical research about AA-FS-AN before writing his book. I think that he wanted to believe that she was Anastasia and borned himself to take some information here and there in other serious books about the matter to copy it in his own book, completing it with his own wild theories and some laugheable stuff...Without mentioning the photos, that are simply awful)

          I think that the most probable it's that he made up the story, for after reading the Summers and Mangold book , he get convinced that Alix and the girls were bring to Perm inestead to be killed. He insist along all his book that the Romanovs being murdered in Ekaterinburg is not a fact but a "theory of the History", never proved. Then, he wanted Anastasia saying it to him...only in order to match the story with Summers and Mangold theories.All very sick and absolutely against history methods.  

          RealAnastasia.

[Louis_Charles]

The details of the story she supposedly gave are so horrifying and salacious that I can only hope that Lovell made them up. Surely these were not the kind of things that Andersen would have made up, since it involved actions performed against her father, mother and sisters that  a woman of her supposed breeding couldn't use to make fun of someone's credulity.

Is there anyone who might be able to confirm or deny Lovell's "creation" of the rape stories?

[Marlene]

Lovell had a febrile imagination.

[RealAnastasia]

Thank you, Marlene. I supposed it, without confirmation, though...

Poor guy!

RealAnastasia.

[Romanov_fan]

This was the first book about the Romanovs I read, and I never liked it much, I was only 11 at the time just getting into the Romanovs but luckily it didn't confuse me too much about real history. I don't think there is much real history in it, because it is about Anna Anderson first of all who was not Anastasia, and that even the information about her could well be inaccurate.

It truthfully gives a very negative picture of both Anna Anderson, James Blair Lovell, and of Anna Anderson's husband. This could well have been Anna Anderson's reality, since I don't believe she was in her right mind, but if you never believed in her before you certainly won't after this book. I think the book has the opposite effect of the intention. Largely, it is nonsense, and could never be called anything else, but I think it gives a better picture of the real Anna Anderson than does Kurth's book in all her pathetic glory. She was surrounded by idiots like Lovell, was a idiot herself, and one feels if Anastasia could see this book she would laugh Sad

[Romanov_fan]

HI! I was wondering what anybody thought of the book that James Blair Lovell edited/wrote, that is a picture book-I believe the title is Royal Russia-but I'm not sure. I have heard it contains errors and inaccuracies. If there is already a thread on this topic, please just delete, I went through everything and there did not seem to be.

[Robert_Hall]

I think the book you are looking for is ROYAL RUSSIA by Carol Townend, from the James Blair Lovell collection.

[Georgiy]

There are the inevitable misidentified daughters, but it is a good book to have as there are pictures in it you won't see elsewhere. (Though this is true of all the 'album' type books. if they rehashed the same pictures again and again with nothing 'new', no one would buy the books!) It has a very nice clear copy of OTMA sitting on the couch in 1916.

[Romanov_fan]

Thanks for the info! I bought the book, and I like it!

[Georgiy]

You're welcome. It's a good little book and the misidentities aren't really too troubling - if you spend enough time at AP, you'll be one of those who can ID a Grand Duchess in a blurry, dark photo with no problem! Publishers of Romanov books should hire us as editors!

[Laura Mabee]

Publishers of Romanov books should hire us as editors!

Hahaha, I can't agree more    

[Margarita Markovna]

Definitely, it seems so easy it's as if we knew the girls personally. But sometimes it's painful when someone not too reliable lables the photos...

[OlgaNRomanovaFan]

Sorry to drag up such an old thread but could someone explain what the 'King Kong Story' is? I can't get a hold of the book and would really appreciate it.  

[Abby]

It has been a while since I've read it, but I think I remember. According to Lovell, he and Anna Anderson were watching a screening of "King Kong" in the theater, and the movie upset her; the recurring themes of a 'king' being taken down by the 'people' and everything sort of reminded her of the Czar, I guess. And then she supposedly poured her heart out to Lovell and told him things that happened to the family while they were imprisoned in Ekaterinburg...without going into too much disturbing detail she hinted that the entire family was raped, and they were verbally abusive. But then I heard afterward that Lovell fabricated this part of the book and she never said those things at all. So I don't know!

[Ra-Ra-Rasputin]

Yep, as Abby says, the King Kong story is about when Lovell, AA and her husband were at the cinema watching King Kong, then AA left and Lovell went to speak to her.  AA basically claimed that every member of the IF apart from Alexei was raped repeatedly on several occasions while the rest of the family was forced to watch.  Then AA apparently went on to claim that the GDs and Alexandra were taken away to Perm in a train, separated, and then AA ran away and met this mysterious Tchaikovsky figure.

Needless to say this is all a fabrication and definitely should not be taken seriously! Whether Lovell or AA made it up, I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past either of them!

The James Blair Lovell book was one of the first I read about the Romanovs, and it certainly led me down the garden path for a while until I discovered real, scholarly books and not trash! I still have my copy though.  For sentimental reasons I like to keep it, rather than for any intellectual value!

Rachel
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